Who The Hell Is Jeff?
by Hyperteenager24
Summary: "Jeff?" "Dad?" "Who the hell is Jeff?" The Winter Soldier AU that nobody asked for :)
1. Damn Right It Is

Okay, so I strongly suspect that Jeff is still alive in the 2015 series and that the Hood has him jailed somewhere. Upon watching Captain America: Winter Soldier, I had this sudden thought…what if the Hood brainwashes Jeff in order for Jeff to carry out his dirty deeds?

Thus the idea of a winter soldier au was born…warning guys, this is going to hurt!

I hope you enjoy it and please read and review :)

….

Sunrise on Tracy Island…beautiful. To be honest, it was one of Gordon's favourite times of the day…the sun hit the waves of the sea just right, reflecting off of the water and filling Gordon's morning with bright lights.

He grinned as he ran across the side. Each morning, he ran a couple of miles before heading to the pool for a few lengths. This part of his schedule very rarely changed and this was only when one of his brothers decided to join him. More often than not, it was Virgil or Scott. Alan often didn't get out of bed this early and John? Forget it…he was often happier sitting by the pool rather than it.

"On your left!"

What the hell?! Gordon slowed down as he watched his oldest brother, Scott, double back and run towards him, a large grin on his face. "You're too slow Fish! I'd stick to water!" Scott laughed as he stopped in front of Gordon.

Gordon rolled his eyes and grinned, "Well, we can't all be running gods like you and Virgil…" He panted, "…besides, didn't anyone ever tell you? Slow and steady wins the race!"

Scott clapped his brother on the back, "I didn't think you'd be out today, what with it being…" Scott trailed off as Gordon sighed. It was the anniversary of their Dad's disappearance.

"I woke up this morning expecting him to be here…" Gordon muttered, "….sitting at the table, drinking his coffee and talking to John, checking up on him you know?"

Scott nodded as Gordon continued, "I haven't had thoughts like that since he first disappeared…it threw me. I needed to keep to my schedule or I was going to go nuts!"

Scott nodded again in understanding, "You know…I can't watch certain films anymore…" he stated.

Gordon frowned in confusion and Scott smiled, "Dad used to watch old films with me…stuff like Star Wars and all that. I can't watch them anymore…too many memories, you know?"

Gordon sighed, "Yeah…I understand."

The pair sat on the beach for a few minutes, gazing out onto the horizon, lost in their own memories. Suddenly the sound of footsteps across the sand startled them out of their thoughts. Turning their heads, they spotted Kayo jogging across the sand until she reached them.

"Suit up boys! We've got a mission…a ship's taking on a lot of water in the south pacific. John can't get any information on passengers, but the distress signal was picked up through a military frequency."

The group hurried back to the house to find John's hologram waiting for them, "Hey guys…" John greeted, "…I'm afraid I haven't been able to get any more information on who or what the ship is carrying, but the original distress call seems to suggest that a hostage situation was taking place when the ship began to sink."

Scott frowned, "A hostage situation? I thought the distress signal was picked up through a military frequency? Are you saying that members of the military are being held hostage? Or is the opposite way around, and one of the hostages was able to hack into the frequency?"

John shrugged, "It's hard to say…I've contacted the relevant officials on land, but each and every one of them has informed me that they have been instructed not to get involved. They say that we have no proof that anything untoward is happening so they're not helping. So it looks as though we may have two missions to run. Save the ship and rescue the hostages."

Scott nodded as Virgil and Alan entered the room, "So what do you think we need?"

John gestured at Kayo, "Well, I honestly think that Thunderbird S will come in handy. After all, we'll need to be covert whilst rescuing the hostages…So Scott and Kayo should have that part of the mission, whilst Virgil and Gordon in their respective Thunderbirds plug the hole in the ship and help it back to shore."

Scott nodded in agreement, whilst Virgil frowned, "Thunderbird Two isn't exactly the quietest thing around…it's going to be hard to get close enough without them noticing!"

"You'll need to drop Thunderbird Four quite a distance away from the ship in order to remain covert." Answered John as his brothers and Kayo rushed off to get prepared, leaving Alan alone in the room.

"What about me John?" asked Alan.

John smiled, "Sorry Alan, but there doesn't appear to be anything at the moment. Don't worry, I'm sure something will pop up."

…

"Okay, so I've managed to hack into the frequency in order to gain a bit more information…" stated John as Scott and Kayo prepared to board the ship, "…no ransom demands have been made and I have managed to confirm that it is the military that is being held hostage and that the leader of the opposing team is a…James Klattenhoff."

Kayo nodded in recognition, "I've heard of him. He's a prominent player in a terrorist group that has some links to the Hood…"

Scott frowned, "That is never good. Do we know how many terrorists there are, or how many military operatives?"

John glanced at something out of Scott and Kayo's sight, "Hmmm, records state that there was about fifty people on the ship before the terrorists boarded. There are five or six different voices that are probably the terrorists, and conversations between these men suggest that they…." John paused, "…shot forty of the military operatives before threatening the remaining officers."

Scott shook his head, "That makes no sense. Surely the military operatives were equipped to take down these men?!"

John sighed, "Yeah, you'd think…but apparently the ship was just transporting supplies, such as food and clothing to the nearest base. According to these reports, there was very little weaponry on board, at least, not powerful enough to combat what the terrorists had."

Kayo frowned, "Are the remaining officers particularly important or was it just a random selection?"

John glanced over again and shook his head, "At the moment, there's no way to tell…but I can tell you this. There are about three generals on board according to the records. Lots of power and influence that the kidnappers can use."

Scott and Kayo glanced at each other in confusion. If it was just a supply run, then why were so many important people on board? Deciding to forget it for the time being, Scott moved over to the back of the plane in order to prepare for a covert drop into the water beside the ship and Kayo turned back to John, a sly grin on her face.

"So John, a little birdy tells me that you're going to be down on Earth for a few days?"

John chuckled, "I didn't know that was Alan's new name…and yes I am. We thought it would be better if the family was together for a while…moral support and all that."

Kayo nodded, "So you're available to go out one night? Night on the town?"

John shook his head and grinned, "No…it's not my thing and you know it!"

"Kayo…" Scott interrupted the conversation, "…we need to go, stop teasing John. We're going silent after the drop, oh and what is Thunderbird Two's ETA?"

"They're ten minutes out."

Scott nodded and pressed a button that opened the back of Thunderbird S, "Right…" he glanced at Kayo, "…let's go"

The two dived into the water, leaving Thunderbird S stationary above them, hidden by the clouds. Sneaking on board the ship, the two were able to take out the guards that were on the deck with relative ease.

Scott glanced around, "These people seem very calm for being on a sinking ship?"

Kayo nodded, "Forgive me if I don't stick around to find out why. I'll go rescue the hostages, you deal with Klattenhoff, okay?"

Scott agreed and the two went their separate ways.

….

To be honest, Scott wasn't too happy with the situation. He preferred dealing with natural disasters, not this…not sneaking into control rooms and having to fight a rather large man.

"You International Rescue agents…always sticking your nose in places where it doesn't belong!" Klattenhoff grunted as he threw punch after punch towards Scott.

"That should be our new catch phrase…Thunderbird S, what's the situation?" Scott panted as he dodged and blocked.

"Just finishing up…" came a voice from his communicator, "…these guys aren't very well trained, in fact, I think Brains would put up more of a fight!"

Scott rolled his eyes, "Lucky you….Thunderbirds Two and Four, what's your situation"

"Thunderbird Four is just searching for the leak, but we can't seem to find it…is there any sign that the ship is leaking on your end?"

Scott ducked as Klattenhoff grew more and more frustrated, "No, I'm beginning to think this was all just a set up!"

"Me and Thunderbird Four may be inclined to agree with you….do you and Kayo need help?"

"No, we've got this. Stick around, you can help us to transport these men to the nearest prison."

"FAB Thunderbird One."

Scott then turned his attention back to Klattenhoff who was beginning to look a little worn out, "Sorry, but you're going to have to try harder than that if you want to land a hit. My Dad and I used to spar all the time and let me tell you, he was pushing forty five and still used to kick my ass! You're nothing compared to him!"

As Klattenhoff charged, Scott ducked underneath him, striking him in the stomach. Klattenhoff grunted, collapsing to his knees making it easier for Scott to knock him out. "Thunderbird S?" he spoke into his communicator, "Thunderbird S, what's the situation?"

Silence.

"Thunderbird S?"

"We have a problem…" Scott jumped as Kayo's voice came from behind him, "…it appears as though this was not just a simple supply run. There was something bigger at stake here."

Kayo held up a memory stick, "I decided to retrieve some information-"

"On whose orders?" interrupted Scott, "What if there had been more kidnappers and where are the hostages?!"

Kayo shrugged, "Colonel Casey asked me to do some digging earlier and the hostages are fine, they're taking care of the remaining terrorists."

"We can't do this, we can't have you performing secret missions. I need to know what's going on at all times or everything will fall apart!"

Kayo nodded and was about to answer, when suddenly Scott felt a blinding pain at the back of his head, sending him to the ground. Wincing he twisted around to see Klattenhoff disappearing around a corner. He felt Kayo gently press against the back of his head, "Okay…" she muttered, "…this one might be on me."

She helped Scott to his feet who tore his arm away and pressed a hand against his sore head, "You're damn right it is!" he grunted, striding away


	2. Project Dōsatsu

Positive response, that's what I like to see :)

Now, I would just like to mention something that I think I should clear up now. I realise that John/Kayo is quite a popular ship now, and that their interaction in the last chapter was quite flirtatious, but chances are that it won't be happening in any of my stories. Sorry :(

This is for two reasons. One is that I ship Kayo/Alan (for obvious reasons) and the other is that I have the head-canon that John is asexual, preferring the solitude of space :). So I'm very sorry to anyone who reviewed and expressed an interest in Jayo, but it won't be happening I'm afraid :S.

I hope this won't discourage you from reading the rest of the story. Please read and review :)

…..

"Scott? Scott, what's wrong?"

Scott pushed past his brother, his hand still pressed firmly against the lump at the back of his head. "Nothing, where are the rest of the terrorists?"

"In the pod, many of them are still unconscious, but those who aren't are secure. We're going to transport them to the GDF…do you need me to look at that head wound?"

Scott shook his head and winced, "I'm good. I'll put some ice on it during the journey."

Virgil frowned as he watched Kayo climb into Thunderbird S and take off. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm coming with you to the GDF. Colonel Casey and I need to have a chat."

…

"You just can't help yourself can you? You just had to get involved!"

Colonel Casey didn't even glance up from her paperwork at Scott's entrance, "Yes, please do come in Mr Tracy…and I needed the information on that ship as General Cooper is certainly not giving me any details."

"I need to be informed if someone has another mission, I could have brought along another agent to help with the hostages!"

"I don't need to tell you anything Mr Tracy…"

"Yes you do! Especially when lives are on the line!"

"International Rescue was brought in to ensure that didn't happen…"

"We were told the ship was sinking, which it wasn't. International Rescue work as a natural disaster response team, not as your personal covert team! If everyone is off doing their own thing, it becomes chaotic and people get hurt! Or people escape, like Klattenhoff!"

Colonel Casey frowned at Scott before indicating that he should follow her. They walked into an elevator which then began to descend. "I'm assuming your brothers won't mind being kept waiting?"

Scott shrugged, "Virgil said that it might take a while to process the men that we did manage to stop. He and Gordon will be here a while I think…why?"

Colonel Casey smirked as the elevator came to a stop, "Are you aware that the crime rate has gone up worldwide, by almost five percent. Now I know that doesn't seem like a lot to you, but I can assure you…it's becoming a problem."

"I hope this isn't your 'International Rescue should work as a separate police force' recruitment speech…"

The doors opened to reveal a large warehouse-like complex, men bustling around three large air-bases which appeared to be heavily equipped with weaponry. The pair walked through the complex, Scott's eyes widening with every new sight.

"These are our response to the rising crime levels…" stated Casey, "…no need for International Rescue to get involved. Of course, we had some help from your tech expert and your space operative in the design of these bases, but aside from that, your organisation has no reason to be anything other than a response team."

"What are they?"

"This is Project Dōsatsu. Three air-bases that are synced to a triad of satellites. Thanks to your brother and Brains, these ships never have to come down, the new rockets guarantee this. The information that is sent to them via the satellites can spot a terrorist before they even have chance to attack someone. With the new weaponry that we have been developing, we can reduce the number of global threats and make this world a little safer."

"Did you tell John or Brains what the designs were actually going to be used for?"

"We decided not to fully inform them. As far as they're aware, these are merely surveillance bases."

"You do know John is practically a pacifist right? Brains as well, they would be horrified to know what these designs are being used for!"

Colonel Casey shrugged, "Sadly, it's the way of the world. I'm sure they'll understand eventually."

Scott glanced around, "You know…Dad always used to say that the punishment should only come after the crime. It practically became his catchphrase at one point, especially when Virgil, Alan and I would catch Gordon preparing one of his pranks. We'd yell and scream at him until Dad came in. He'd say that it wasn't our job to punish Gordon, even if it seemed like he was doing something he shouldn't, because we had no proof that the prank would have been harmful in any way. The punishment should fit the crime, not precede it."

"We can no longer afford to wait that long…" sighed Casey, "…it's gotten to the point where, now that we know the Hood is a legitimate threat, the world is in grave danger. It took all of my influence to persuade the army, air-force and the navy that this threat is bigger than all of us combined and that we needed something extra in order to combat it. The world is safer because of these."

Scott rolled his eyes, "Yes, by pointing a gun at everybody's head and calling it freedom…" he scoffed, "…this isn't freedom, it's fear!"

His communicator beeped and he turned away, walking back to the elevator, "Now, if you'll excuse me Colonel Casey, I have somewhere to be."

….

"Today marks the anniversary of our Father's disappearance…" Scott stated into the microphone, the radio host frowning in sympathy, "…and I wish that I could say that it's gotten easier for me and my family. The truth is that it hasn't…in fact, it can be argued that it's gotten harder, not knowing whether he's dead or alive. But, I would like to take this time to thank the media for its support during this difficult time and we thank you for respecting our privacy."

The host nodded, "We are sorry for your loss. Now, when you came in this afternoon, you told our producers that you will be having your Father declared legally dead over the course of the net year. Can you explain your reasoning behind the decision, after all, Jeff's body hasn't been found!"

Scott sighed, "We can't live like this anymore. Every time there is news of a fallen aircraft being found, I can see the hope in my little brothers eyes grow, and then fade when it is revealed that the plane is not our Father's. By having him declared dead, a little bit of that burden is lifted and maybe we'll be able to move on."

"And if your Father is found?"

"Then we'll retract the document to the best of our ability, but if I'm honest…the process will take a while anyway and if our Dad does show up in that time, then we'll have some peace of mind. Thank you for speaking to me, but I need to be at home for my brothers right now."

…

The mid-afternoon sun cast shadows over John and the gravestone. "You would have been proud of him Mom…" he whispered,"…Scott's suffering just as much as the rest of us, yet he was willing to speak to hundreds, even thousands of people!"

He glanced at the ground, "I could never have done that…not as well as Scott anyway."

"You underestimate yourself Star…" chuckled a voice from behind him. Spinning around, he saw his Grandma approaching, "…you could have done it just as well."

John shrugged, "Maybe…is he back yet?"

"Not yet…though Brains tells me that it shouldn't be long now."

"Okay…" John gently patted the top of his mother's grave, "…I'll speak to you later Mom…I promise. But right now, I need to be with my brothers."

….

Colonel Casey sighed as she was refused access to the information on the hard drive once again. She had tried everything, using the top access codes that were only available to her and several leading officers within the armed forces and even decryption programs. Picking up the phone, she made an important phone call.

"Lady Penelope?...Yes, this Colonel Casey, I was wondering if you would be able to pick something up for me. Something that requires a delicate touch…You can be here in an hour?...Excellent, you know the code to my office and even if you didn't, I'm sure Parker could deal with that problem. It'll be in a package on my desk…No, I have someone to see."

45 minutes later, Colonel Casey found herself striding up the stairs towards General Cooper's office. Sitting just outside of the door, was Cooper's personal assistant, who was just as unfamiliar to the colonel as Cooper himself.

The man was skinny, with black greasy hair and dark eyes, a snake-like smirk on his face. "Can I help you?" The man, who was called Christian Braun, asked.

"Yes, I'd quite like to see General Cooper."

"I'm afraid he's in a meeting right now, may I take a message?"

"No…what you can do is pull him out of the meeting. I'm sure that whatever it's about, can wait. I need to speak with him."

Christian shrugged, "I don't know Colonel. General Cooper said that he was discussing national security. Probably something to do with the incident earlier today…"

"Consider me to be uncaring Braun…now will you please go and fetch him, or will I have to go in there myself?"

Christian scowled, before speaking into his desk microphone. "General Cooper, Colonel Casey is here to see you…she is rather persistent."

There was silence before the door behind Christian opened to reveal a large, bald man with a bushy moustache. General Cooper himself.

"I had hoped it would be the last I would see of you today Colonel Casey. If this about the information on the ship that was held hostage today, then I'm afraid I can't help you."

Casey tilted her head, "I think you might want to listen to this…I have reason to believe that there is going to be an attack on either the US armed forces, the GDF or possible both. Project Dōsatsu needs to be put off, at least until I'm more aware of what this threat may entail."

General Cooper frowned, "According to reports, you were the one who persuaded my predecessor to pursue this course of action, and from what I've read, this project may be the best thing for this country."

"Yes, which is exactly the reason why we need to sort out this problem. I have a feeling that if we just ignore it, then the last thing we want is for those air-bases to be in the air."

General Cooper frowned, "Hmph, and what makes you think that there is actually a problem…or is it just a feeling, because if that's so, then there is nothing I can do!"

"No, it's not just a feeling…one of the rescuers found something suspicious that made me doubt whether this project is the best thing to be doing right now."

"What did they find?"

Colonel Casey glanced suspiciously at the General, "Nothing to worry about. I've got a London agent on the case. She'll find out what's going on and then once I know, you'll know. Is that alright General?"

There was silence for a few minutes before the General reluctantly nodded, "Alright Ma'am."

"Thank you General. Now, I have paperwork to do and you have a meeting. Good day" Casey saluted and left. The General and his assistant watched, uneasy looks on their faces.

….

"Scott! Scott!"

Scott grinned as he entered the main living area to hear his younger brother, Alan.

"Hey, Speed. What's up?" Scott exclaimed tiredly.

Alan frowned at Scott's tone of voice, "Virgil said that you were stressed. When he dropped you off, he said that you had a bad time during the mission?"

Scott sighed, "I just bumped heads with Kayo a little…and then Klattenhoff's steel pipe bumped my head…hard. So yeah…I'm a little annoyed."

Alan smiled in sympathy, "Aah, understood…we all listened to that speech by the way. Thanks for volunteering with that, I know I couldn't have done it…"

Forgetting everything that he'd been through earlier that day, Scott pulled his brother into a large hug. "Thanks Alan…I think I needed to hear that today."

Suddenly Scott's communicator began to ring. Pulling away from Alan, Scott answered. "Lady Penelope. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Lady Penelope's face appeared, "Scott…we have a situation. Colonel Casey has just given us a usb that may contain sensitive information. We haven't been able to access anything on it so we're going to head on over to the island…well, at least when we get onto a clear stretch of road. Brains and John may have better luck than us."

Scott nodded. "FAB…" he closed down the communication and sighed, "…there goes my hopes of having a quiet evening together."


	3. Triple Shot

Not many reviews on the last chapter :( But hopefully, because things begin to pick up a bit in this chapter, more people will comment :).

I hope you enjoy it and please read and review!

…..

Lady Penelope sighed as she placed her communicator back in her handbag, glancing out of the window as the skyscrapers passed by. "Parker, is there any way we can avoid all of this. I sense this matter may require some urgency…"

She saw Parker shake his head from the front seat, "H'I'm h'afraid not m'lady. H'it h'appears h'as though every bugger h'in the city h'is h'out!"

"Language Parker…."

They braked as they approached some traffic lights, a cop car pulling up beside them. Glancing over, Parker scoffed at the sight. "You'd think with this car, h'I'd be free h'of suspicion. H'I mean, why would h'I steal h'a pink car?!"

Penelope glanced over as well, just in time to see the cops nod at each other before switching the siren on and setting of as the light turned green. "I think it's just a precaution Parker, don't worry about it."

Parker nodded as they drove through the intersection. They were halfway across when suddenly there was a large impact on the left side of the car, sending it flying into the bollards on the opposite pavement. From what little Parker saw, he realized that it was another cop car. Literally seconds later, three other cop cars barricaded them in, one at the front side, one on the right and one at the back.

Wincing Lady Penelope glanced all around her, blood was streaming down her face and her wrist was definitely broken. "Parker! Parker! Are you alright?!"

"H'aside from the h'odd bump and bruise m'lady, yes…you m'lady"

"I've been better…" she flinched as the cops began to open fire on the vehicle, "…I don't suppose we can make a quick get-a-away?"

"H'I'm h'afraid not m'lady, the h'engine systems h'are non-responsive."

"Then reboot them Parker!"

Parker nodded, frowning as he glanced at a nearby screen, "M'Lady? The scanners h'indicate that no police 'ave h'actually been dispatched to this street…"

Penelope nodded, moving to the middle of the back seat as the shots continued, "I am very glad that we invested in bullet-proof cars…" she winced as the faux police brought out a rather large battering ram, "…how is that reboot doing Parker?"

"Not h'as well h'as h'I might 'ave hoped."

"Wonderful."

The computer system then bleeped out a warning, 'Window Integrity Threatened!'

"You think?" Growled Parker, as the car rocked with the intensity of the battering ram.

'Window Integrity at 31 percent!'

"Should h'I deploy the weaponry system now m'lady?"

"Not yet Parker, wait for my signal…" The car rocked again as the battering ram struck again.

'Window Integrity at 19 percent!'

"Now?"

"Wait Parker!"

The car rocked again. 'Window Integrity at 1 percent!'

"NOW PARKER!"

Parker deployed the machine stun gun that was kept in the side compartment of the driver's seat, just as the window shattered under the next hit. Firing at the cops outside of the window, Parker was able to knock out several of them just as the engine system reboot finished.

"Go Parker! Go!" yelled Penelope as Parker slammed his foot down on the accelerator pedal, pushing the cop car in front of them out of the way, so that they could drive past.

"I think I've had quite enough of this…" gasped Penelope, "…Parker, get us out of here!"

"H'one problem m'lady…the flight systems h'are down!"

"Call Tracy Island then. My communicator was damaged in the initial impact."

"Communications h'are down h'as well m'lady!"

"Well what is working Parker?!"

"The h'air conditioning m'lady…"

Penelope rolled her eyes at the statement as their car sped through the streets, weaving through traffic, eventually slowing down as the cars ahead stopped. "Parker, we need to get out of here!"

"We will m'lady…" answered Parker as he began to push through the traffic, not caring if he impacted with the cars ahead.

"Parker!"

"The car is already damaged m'lady, a few more scratches won't hurt…"

The car slowly continued to move forwards as cops began to shoot at them once again. Quickly reversing, Parker managed to knock several of them to the streets, enabling them to get another head-start.

"Parker, watch out!"

Parker leaned back in his chair just as gunshots echoed through the streets and bullets flew into the car via the smashed window. Glancing over, Parker spotted another cop car. Grinding his teeth, Parker swerved the car over to the cops, slamming the man's wrist against the steering wheel as the man shoved his hand into the car to try and shoot Parker and Penelope.

"Parker!" Penelope leaned forwards in her seat just as another car slammed into the other side of them.

"Stay back m'lady, h'I 'ave this h'all h'under control!" Parker grunted as he attempted to disarm the cop. Noticing that they were coming up to an intersection, he slammed his foot down on the brake, slowing down the car as the cop cars shot past them…and straight into a lorry's path.

It was times like this where Parker remembered the words of his old driving tutor…well, his old criminal mentor. 'Cops often pay more attention to you than the road…it's not unreasonable to take advantage of this, so long as you are a cautious driver.'

"Parker, we need to get out of here right now!"

Parker nodded as he turned onto a much quieter street…only to narrow his eyes in confusion. Standing in the middle of the road was a man clad entirely in black, with a large silver mask…very similar to what the Hood minions wear. The man aimed a large gun at them, which fired a disc that disappeared under their car. Seconds later, there was an explosion and their car flipped over.

That was the last thing Penelope remembered for while….

Parker however, remembered everything. There wasn't a part of his body that didn't ache after that last attack. "M'Lady?" he whispered.

Silence.

Twisting around, he winced when he saw his employer. Her hair was matted with blood due to a head injury, and her wrist was swollen to almost twice its original size. Turning his attention back to the outside of the car, he began to frantically reach for Lady Penelope's bag in order to grab the device left by Colonel Casey…and more importantly the lipstick laser.

The masked offender was getting closer.

Parker aimed the laser above his head, and therefore into the ground. Just as the masked man bent down to check for survivors, Parker pulled Lady Penelope through the hole, the both of them falling into the sewers that ran underneath the city.

This situation was more dangerous than any of them realised.

…..

John rubbed his eyes as the morning sun creeped through his window…God he hated mornings. Was that music he could hear?

Shuffling out of bed…yawning as he did so, John trudged out of his room. He could see his brothers exiting their rooms as well, with Virgil looking especially grumpy. "Who the hell is that?!" the brother in question grunted.

Scott rolled his eyes, "Probably Gordon…I swear, one of these days-"

"Hey, I'm right here!"

Scott spun around and winced, "O yeah…you said you were skipping today's session. Sorry Fish…"

"So…" Alan began, "…Who's playing the music?"

John shrugged, "Grandma? Kayo?"

Scott and Virgil both shook their heads, and Scott answered, "No. Grandma is never up this early and this sort of music isn't Kayo's style…besides, I think she's usually in the gym by this point."

The brothers glanced at each other before Scott slowly and quietly led the family downstairs, keeping an eye on their surroundings. Edging round the corner that led into the main living area, Scott stopped in his tracks and sighed, "Come on guys, it's just Parker and Lady Penelope…"

He switched the light on, only to step back in shock, "What the hell happened to you guys?!"

Parker and Penelope were covered in bumps, bruises and cuts. Penelope's were worse, which was clear by the way she was taking care not to put pressure on her left wrist, whilst holding a cold compress to her head with her right hand.

"We…ran into a slight situation…" muttered Penelope weakly, "…it appears as though the information that Colonel Casey had for us was worth more than what she originally thought. My car was ruined by faux cops and, what appeared to be, one of the Hood's minions."

Virgil frowned, "So…how did you get here?"

Parker smirked, "H'I….h'accquired a plane….security h'is very lax nowadays."

Before anything more could be said, Parker's eyes widened in surprise and he dived in front of Penelope. Three loud bangs echoed throughout the island and Parker fell to the ground, blood pooling around his body.

"PARKER!" screamed Penelope as Scott and Virgil span around to spot a masked man running away from the house.

"I've got him!" yelled Alan as he sped after the man, just as John felt Parker tug on his trouser leg. Kneeling down, John felt Parker press something into his hand. "Keep h'it safe…" the old man grunted before passing out.

"John, I need your help! We need to keep pressure on these wounds!" yelled Virgil.

John nodded, placing whatever it was in his pyjama pockets, "Where's Scott?"

"Chasing Alan who is chasing the shooter. Gordon's calling our personal doctor."

The pair continued to help Parker as Gordon attempted to calm Penelope down. 10 more minutes passed before Scott and Alan came back into the house, sweat pouring down their faces.

"He got away…" panted Alan, "…had a high-powered motor boat."

"Bastard…"grunted Scott as the family heard a plane land on their private landing strip. The doctor and a trusted team of surgeons entered a few minutes later, transferring Parker to a separate room in order to work on him. Penelope joined them in order for a separate assistant to re-set her wrist.

….

The family were there for hours, giving Kayo and Brains enough time to be properly filled in on the situation.

Parker died at 11:40am that very morning.


	4. Betrayl

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…..

John could still hear Penelope's cries…she hadn't stopped since getting the news. Grandma Tracy had escorted her to a separate room in order to try and help her calm down. To be honest, the brothers weren't doing much better…in fact, Kayo was the only one who had managed to keep a dry eye throughout the whole adventure.

She walked up to John, who had his head buried in his hands. "John?"

John glanced up and smiled as Kayo continued, "What exactly did Parker say to you? Before he died, I mean? It seemed pretty urgent…"

John shrugged as he ignored the small weight in his pocket, "I couldn't understand him very well…blood loss, you know? His words were all slurred."

Kayo narrowed her eyes suspiciously before nodding, "Alright…Virgil is going to escort Penelope and Parker's body back home so that she can take care of the burial details."

John nodded as Kayo left. Once he was sure that she was gone, he removed the object from his pocket. "A USB?" he whispered in confusion. Shrugging, he placed the USB in an old box that was usually kept under the bed. With the exception of the USB, the box contained little mementos from different places that he had been.

"John…" John glanced up to see Scott in his room doorway, "…I've called Colonel Casey and she's arranged a meeting with a General Cooper. Apparently he would know more about what Parker was killed for...I sense it's something to do with Project Dōsatsu." He grimaced at John's confused look, "I'll explain on the way…come on, get into your uniform."

"Why am I coming? Why not Gordon or Alan? I need to go back up at some point…"

"No offense to them, but I can't trust them not to say the wrong thing. You're a natural peacekeeper, making you perfect for this conversation. Thunderbird Five can remain on automatic for a bit longer as I sense the General might not be as willing to talk as Casey makes out."

John nodded, "I'll meet you in Thunderbird One's hanger."

…..

"Aah, you must be International Rescue!" greeted General Cooper as John and Scott entered his office, shaking each of their hands as his assistant stood behind him.

Scott saluted after the handshake, his air force training coming back into play, "It's an honour to meet you Sir."

"Nonsense, the honour is all mine. After all, International Rescue has done some truly amazing things. Now, what can I do for you gentlemen?"

Scott nodded, "We need to know more about what the information on that ship we rescued yesterday. After all, a man died trying to protect it."

"I'm afraid I can't tell you much. I was only there on a routine inspection…although, the information that you speak of is concerning. Were it to fall into the wrong hands-"

"It won't." interrupted John, "The information is safe. We just need to know what it was all about."

The General remained silent for a few minutes, before turning away. "I imagine it held information about Project Dōsatsu. It is a revolutionary project that Colonel Casey designed in order to protect the world from terrorist attacks…the problem is that not many know the particulars of the project…except Colonel Casey."

Scott frowned, "What exactly are you suggesting? That Colonel Casey is responsible for all of this?!"

The General smirked, "I think it's something to be considered…Colonel Casey came to me, asking that the project be stopped. She seemed quite annoyed when I informed her we could do nothing without evidence. An attack on the very operatives she hired to decipher the files would seem very suspicious wouldn't it?"

"But she told us that you knew what the files contained and that you wouldn't tell her. When she couldn't see for herself, she grew concerned and that's why she wanted the project halted."

"I believe she may have misled you slightly…you see, the fact of the matter is I couldn't tell her because I don't know anything about the files."

"Did you disagree with her about halting the project for a while?"

"Yes…like I said, it is a revolutionary project. What Colonel Casey may not have realised it that in order to make a new world, you sometimes have to tear the old one down…and that make enemies."

Scott and John nodded at each before Scott addressed the General again, "Thank you for your time General Cooper."

Before they could leave, the General's voice stopped them. "A good friend of yours was killed today International Rescue. Someone who presents a threat to the security of this world. If it were me, I would stop at nothing to get my hands on that person….You were the last ones to see Mr Parker alive. I don't think that was an accident and neither do you I suspect…who now has those files, now that he's gone."

John couldn't help but straighten up at those words, his thoughts turning to the hidden box under his bed. "It's a matter for International Rescue now…" he blurted out, "…we'll soon get to the bottom of this."

They turned to leave again, but the General's next words sent shivers down their spines. "Just a word of warning gentlemen…the armed forces will also be investigating this matter. If anyone gets in our way, they will be dealt with…and I mean anyone."

The two brothers nodded and quickly left the office. Scott shook his head as they headed to the elevator, "This is getting out of hand. The General knows something and I am not falling for his attempts to pin the blame on Colonel Casey."

John nodded in agreement and shuddered, "To be honest, it wasn't so much the General as his assistant…did you see the way he just lurked there, staring at us…"

The pair entered the elevator, however, before the doors could shut they were joined by a small group of soldiers who pressed the button for the records level. The elevator went down a couple of floors, only to stop for another small group. This happened once more before Scott realised that something was wrong.

"John…." Scott whispered, "….I need you to move to the back of the elevator."

John surreptitiously glanced behind him before shaking his head, "I can't…we're surrounded."

The elevator came to a stop. Scott glanced around, "Before we get started…Does anyone want to get out?"

There was a few seconds of silence before the person in front of the brothers drew a baton and launched himself at Scott. John yelped when his arms were yanked to either side and a couple of men attempted to place magnetic cuffs on him so that he could be restrained against the metallic wall.

Scott grunted and pushed, "Get your hands off of him!" he yelled, breaking the nose of a nearby solider and elbowing another in the gut. Taking advantage of the reprieve, he tackled the guard who was attempting to putt the second cuff on John's wrist, sending this second cuff into the lower wall. Sadly Scott nudged John in the process and his right wrist attached to the elevator wall.

John tried to get free and sighed in frustration, "Thanks Scott…"

"Hey, I saved you didn't I?" grunted Scott as he dunked under a punch.

John rolled his eyes and placed both feet on the wall in order to use his entire weight to detach the cuff, "And I'm thankful for that…but what exactly can I do from here!?"

"Well, at least I can keep an eye on you now!"

John chuckled as he watched Scott knock two guys heads together. Tugging his wrist one final time, he was able to backflip to the ground. Thank god for gymnastics training. Turning around, he whacked a soldier around the back of the head, knocking him to the ground.

Due to Scott's earlier efforts, there was only one soldier left who placed his fists in front of him defensively. "It's nothing personal!" yelled the man, lunging at the brothers. John dived to the side as Scott grabbed the man by the shoulders and kneed him in the stomach, before striking him across the face and knocking him out.

Scott sighed as he removed the cuff from John's wrist, "It kinda feels personal…" He opened the elevator doors slightly, only to push them shut when he saw a large group of armed guards run down the hallway.

He glanced at John, "Do you have your rocket boots on?"

John nodded and Scott grinned, "Excellent…" he smashed the window of the elevator, therefore giving them an exit to the outside of the building….several floors up. Scott fired his grapple gun at the opposite building and, with his spare arm, he grabbed his brother around the waist.

"Scott…what are you doing?" yelped John as they leapt out of the window, firmly attached to the grapple wire.

"Escaping…those rocket boots of yours should help us to Thunderbird One!"

"You know they aren't actually built for Earth, they help me move about in outer space! And we've just been attacked, I think they're probably watching your bird!"

"…Yes, you may be right. Well, thanks to the defence systems in One, they won't be able to actually get in, let alone use her!"

The pair impacted with the second building and gripped on to the window ledges so that Scott could detach his grapple gun. John attempted to get a better grip on the ledge before sighing, "Well this is a fine mess!"

"Shut up John…Okay, on the count of three, we're going to drop and your boots should soften the fall slightly."

"…Please explain your logic."

"THREE!" Scott grabbed his brother and pushed them both away from the building, causing John to frantically switch his boots on in order to minimise the damage to his legs.

It worked…sort of.

Once they landed (heavily), they both limped into the street. Scott turned to John and pointed at an abandoned motorbike in a car park. "Parker taught you how to jump start cars and stuff like that right?"

John glanced at the bike before wincing, "Yeah, but I don't know how to ride a motorbike!"

Scott grinned, "Well lucky for you, I do…chop, chop! We haven't got any time to lose!"

John rolled his eyes, got to work and within a few minutes they were speeding through the streets, John clinging to the back of Scott. "HOW ARE WE GETTING TO THE ISLAND WITHOUT THUNDERBIRD ONE!" he screamed.

"OUR FAMILY STILL HAS SEVERAL MOTOR BOATS AT VARIOUS DOCKS. WE'LL HIJACK ONE OF THOSE!"

…..

It took several hours for the two to make their way back to Tracy Island. Scott made his way to the main living area in order to debrief the rest of their family. John, however, made his way up to his room. Once there, he retrieved his box from under his bed, opened it up only to swear in frustration and shock.

The USB was gone.


	5. Secret Identity

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…

John shook in head in despair, "No, no, no, no, no!" He frantically rummaged through the box, searching for the USB.

"Lose something?" John's head shot up to see Kayo standing in his bedroom doorway…the USB in her hands, "You really need to learn to lie better…and find a better hiding place."

John stood up and snatched the USB out of her hands, "And you need to learn not snoop about in other people's rooms! What do you want Kayo?!"

"Scott wants us all in the living room" As the pair left to go downstairs, Kayo told John what had happened whilst he'd been upstairs. "Colonel Casey has just called us on the secure line to tell us that International Rescue are now fugitives. Charged with terrorism against the armed forces of the USA."

"Who made that decision?"

"General Cooper I think."

John shrugged, "Maybe it was something we said?"

As they entered the living room, the rest of the family was there to meet them with Scott in the lead. "Gordon and Grandma are going to stay here for the time being. The rest of us are going to the mainland, to try and get more information…it's too risky to use the computers here, they might be tracked."

John and Kayo nodded and a large majority of the family headed out to the family's private airplane. The game was on.

…..

"Should I stop it?"

Christian Braun glanced up at General Cooper. "Stop what sir?"

"Project Dōsatsu. If there is indeed a threat to the armed forces, then weaponry like that should not be operational…"

Christian shook his head, "That's what they want Sir! International Rescue, I mean….they want this project to be stopped and they are willing to do anything in order to enable it! You can't let them get away with it!"

General Cooper nodded throughout his assistant's speech, "You're right…besides, it's very unlikely that anything has been done to the air-bases. They're heavily guarded…very difficult to get access to them without a pass. The project will go ahead as planned, with or without International Rescue's support."

….

"T-this is fascinating…" whispered Brains as he and the small group huddled around a test laptop in the Apple store,"...t-the ship you g-got this information off of w-was clearly h-hiding something. T-the files are d-double encrypted!"

Scott glanced at both Scott and Brains. "Can either of you hank into it?"

John shrugged, "Whoever created this is a little bit smarter than us…only a little bit mind you."

Scott sighed, "Can I please remind you that as soon as we plugged that USB in, we have only nine minutes until they pinpoint our location…whoever they are…"

Brains nodded, "I-I know. I'm running a p-program that should tick the c-code into thinking we h-have the official clearance."

Scott nodded, glancing over at Alan and Kayo who were distracting a nearby employee…judging by Alan's bright red face, Kayo was going for the 'couple' routine. He heard the computer ping and John's muttered "yes!" of success.

Scott span back around, "Do we have something?"

"A l-location!" stuttered Brains, "Wheaton, N-new Jersey…."

John frowned, "Isn't that Dad's old base where he trained?"

Scott nodded, but before he could say anything, Virgil came and whispered in Scott's ear, "We have at least six soldiers patrolling around the mall, please tell me you've got a plan!"

Scott nodded as he waved Alan and Kayo over. John grabbed the USB and they all left the store, with Virgil, Brains and Scott going one way and John, Kayo and Alan going another.

"Meet us at the coordinates!" ordered Scott as they separated. John, Alan and Kayo headed north through the mall. Kayo slowed down when she saw a soldier heading in their direction, "Quick! Alan, laugh at something I said and John, act like the bored third wheel!"

She flung an arm around Alan's shoulders as he laughed. With John's head down, focusing on his phone, the soldier walked right past them. They then got onto an escalator, heading down towards the car park. Kayo rolled her eyes as she saw another soldier step on the upwards escalator. Spinning around she stared intently at Alan, "Kiss me." She ordered.

Both Alan and John appeared shocked at this. Alan stared at her, "What?!"

"PDA makes people uncomfortable…"

John turned around when Kayo quickly began to kiss Alan, focusing on his phone again. "Yes…yes, they do…" he muttered as the soldier turned away from the group, clearly supporting Kayo's statement.

Kayo pulled away and smirked, "You still uncomfortable?" She asked the pair as they came to the end of the escalator.

Alan glanced back at his brother before sighing, "Uncomfortable isn't quite the word I'd use…"

The three of them headed into the parking lot, where John subtly hot-wired a car. Within minutes, they were heading towards New Jersey. Kayo placed her feet up on the dashboard and smirked at John, "I thought you said that you'd forgotten how to do stuff like stealing a car?"

John rolled his eyes, "Well, Parker always did say that it was like riding a bike…and we're borrowing this, so get your feet down!"

Kayo put her hands up in mock surrender and twisted around in order to speak to Alan. It took a while, but eventually they made it to the old training base in New Jersey. The other three were already there, having used the Tracy family's private plane.

Virgil came up to the three of them and shook his head, "This place looks like another dead end to me. Brains says there's no heat signatures or anything remotely similar…Scott's just been pacing around, looking for…something!"

John walked up to Scott, who pointed at an abandoned building before walking towards it, "Army regulations forbid ammunition stores within five hundred yards of the barracks….this building is in the completely wrong place."

The pair were joined by the rest of the group and Virgil broke the lock….despite John getting ready to pick the lock. Pulling the door open, they headed downstairs into an office complex. Virgil glanced around, frowning as she did so, "This doesn't look like ammunitions storage?"

Scott nodded, "Which usually means that someone's hiding something."

As the group wandered around the room, Alan found himself standing by some bookshelves…and feeling a breeze. Glancing around, he noticed that the breeze appeared to be coming from between the shelves. "Hey guys!" he yelled, "Get over here!"

The rest of the group ran over and after Alan pointed out the draft coming from in between the shelves, Virgil and Scott pulled the shelves to one side to reveal an elevator. Alan frowned in confusion, "If you already have a secret office…why hide the elevator?"

John and Brains were able to hack the elevator and after the group made their way inside, it descended downwards. At the bottom, the doors opened to reveal a dark room which, when lit up, highlighted a room full of computers.

Brains shook his head, "This c-can't be where t-the data point is! T-the technology is f-far too old!"

John nodded in agreement, glancing around until his gaze fell on a USB port. Nudging Brains, they plugged the USB in, therefore booting up the central computer. 'Initiate file systems?' asked the computer.

John smirked, typing 'YES' before waiting for a moment. Suddenly, he heard a voice in his ear. "Shall we play a game?!"

John jumped and whirled around to glare at Alan who was clutching his sides in laughter. "Very funny…" he growled, turning his attention back to the screen.

He scanned through the files, his eyes widening in shock. "Guys, you need to hear this. It's about the Hood…" Suddenly, he had everyone's attention,"…according to these files, the Hood is running an experiment on certain members of his team. So far, he has brainwashed twenty two operatives into doing whatever he demands, however they all died a few months after. X23, the current one, has lasted almost a year."

Scott shrugged, "So the Hood's a sick man…no surprise there. Why is this relevant?"

"Because each of these men have killed for the Hood, but X23 especially. Under his name are several high ranking officials in the Middle East…" John paused, "And an army general's assistant…Christian Braun….almost six months ago."

Scott frowned, "B-but we saw him-O, so the Hood had this man killed in order to infiltrate the army?"

"Not just the army….specifically Project Dōsatsu. Separate files indicate that the Hood's influence has affected every part of that project. He planted his men in every part of the project whilst changing things at the top…he's been like a parasite! I suspect that the true targets aren't the terrorists."

"Then who is? And who is X23, maybe the brainwashing can be undone?"

John shrugged, "These files don't say, but-"Suddenly the console popped and smoke began to appear from behind the screen…which had gone blue. John groaned in frustration, "O, no! Come on, don't 'blue screen of death' me!"

From behind him, he could hear Brains's hand-held computer beep. Spinning around he saw Brains remove it from his pocket and stutter out a warning, "W-we've got a m-missile in-coming!"

Virgil ran towards the doors, which had begun to close after the computers shorted out. "Who the hell sent it!?"

Brains sighed in frustration, "According to t-this…the o-order came from General C-Cooper's computer."

Scott, Kayo, Alan and Virgil began to frantically look around as John wrenched the USB from the port. Virgil ended up pulling up the floor grate which dipped down just over half a metre deep into the ground. "COME ON!" he yelled as he and the rest of the family jumped into the pit and replaced the grate just as the roof above them exploded into flames, sending pieces of concrete raining down on top of them.

The last thing John remembered was a searing pain on his forehead…and then darkness.


	6. Dad?

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….

X23 was ready.

X23 knew that his boss would be home soon.

The mission earlier that day had been successful and now X23 was rested and prepared for his next one.

The front door opened to reveal his boss, who pressed a switch on his watch, his form becoming fuzzy before changing to his true form. The bald man groaned before catching sight of X23, "The timetable's been moved forwards…" his boss groaned, "…You have seven new targets."

The boss slid a piece of paper over to him, and X23 found himself frowning at seven photos. Five of which were very familiar looking young men. The boss seemed to notice this and smirked, "The Tracy boys…be extra efficient with them. I want confirmed kills, photos if you can. They need to die within the next ten hours!"

X23 nodded, before leaving the house…it was almost sunrise.

…..

Gordon sighed as he glanced out of the window…his brothers really should have been back by now. At the moment, he was the only one on the island, due to Grandma travelling to London in order to comfort Penelope. Making his way over to the fridge, he grabbed the cartoon of orange and chugged it back.

A few minutes later he heard a knock on the door. Grabbing a pan, he creeped over to the door and threw it open, only to stop in shock. Standing at the door were his brothers, Kayo and Brains. They all looked badly bruised, but John was the only one being supported, his arms around Virgil and Scott's shoulders.

Alan smiled weakly, "So…in recent news…the army is trying to kill us."

Gordon lowered the pan and sighed, "That is literally just what we need right now…come on and I'll get the boat ready. We need to get to a safe house and we can't risk using the Thunderbirds…to noticeable."

Scott shook his head, "Our boats are too high profile…we have a separate one and a spare car at the mainland. We'll head to London, make a plan there…grab your gear, we need to get going."

Virgil shook his head, "Not just yet Scotty…I want to give everyone a quick medical, especially John…I need to clean that head wound."

Scott reluctantly nodded. There was no good in fighting an army when everyone was only at half strength. The journey could wait for another couple of hours.

Once John was seated, Scott and Kayo moved to the corner in order to devise the next part of their plan. Kayo was adamant that more needed to be done, "We can't just hide out and hope that this will all go away!"

Scott nodded, "Agreed, we need more information about who the intended targets of the project are…but who would know about that? Asides from the Hood."

Kayo thought to herself for a few moments before smirking, "Well, I honestly don't think General Cooper knows about his assistant's secret identity…but Mr Braun also does work for a Captain…Captain Petersen.

Scott nodded, "I think we had better have a chat with the Captain…"

….

John sighed, wincing as his head throbbed. "Why are we even up here?" he whined, the cold air making him shiver from on top of the building.

Scott pointed down at a lone figure who was pacing the courtyard below, "That's Captain Petersen. We think he knows more about Project Dōsatsu than he's been letting on. Virgil and Kayo will encourage him to take a trip with them to the top of this building, where we will have a chat. Gordon and Alan are standing by…Brains decided to wait behind."

John nodded, his eyes focused on the Captain who had answered a call…presumingly from Virgil and Kayo. His focus wavered when he saw Scott pull a laser pointer out of his pocket. "What's that for?" asked John.

Scott grinned, "Well, he might need a bit of encouragement….a laser pointer can be mistaken for a sniper at this distance."

"Fair enough…let me have a go with the pointer!"

Scott moved it out of John's way, "Nuh ugh, I'm the older brother so I get the pointer!"

John huffed and kept an eye on the situation, grinning as the Captain was led into the building. A few minutes later, the man was pushed through the door that led out onto the rooftop. He was then forced to take a few steps backwards as Virgil began to question him. "Tell us more about Project Dōsatsu…"

"I don't "know anything!" yelled the man, taking a few more steps backwards until his feet hit the ledge of the roof. In order to keep him steady, Scott grabbed the front of his jacket. The Captain smirked at the threatening display, "Going to throw me off the edge are you? Because I don't think that's in International Rescue's style!"

Scott tilted his head and nodded, "You're right…" he stepped aside to reveal Kayo, "…it's more her style."

Kayo grinned, before kicking the Captain off of the building. His screams seemed to echo throughout the streets before they stopped in shock. There was silence before the Captain was thrown back onto the rooftop by both Gordon and Alan, who were riding a couple of hover-boards. The Captain, who was obviously shaken by the incident, began to babble. "Project Dōsatsu isn't for terrorists!"

Kayo rolled her eyes, "Yeah, we figured that out…who is it for then?!"

"Everyone and anyone who poses a threat to the Hood. It runs off of a code that reads everything…bank records, past voting scores, anything! Once the air-bases are in the air and active, then they will take out these people…by the millions. And you can bet you lot will be one of the first!"

Kayo and Scott grinned at each other before Scott bent down to look the Captain in the eye, "Captain…you're in luck. We're going on a road trip!"

….

The group had managed to acquire a van, and after forcing the Captain inside, they sped off down the highway. Captain Petersen began to fidget in the passenger seat, his arm held in a tight grip by Kayo. "The Hood isn't going to like this…" mumbled the man, "…he doesn't tolerate leaks!"

Scott sighed from the driver seat and Gordon threw a ball of paper at the Captain, "Then why don't you put a cork in it!"

John nodded in agreement, before turning his attention to Scott, "You know we only have about sixteen hours before the air-bases are launched…cutting it kinda close don't you think?"

"Yep…" began Scott, "…but if we use the Captain's fingerprints as a way to gain access, then we can shut the project down before anyone is killed."

The Captain span around in shock, "What! That is a terrible idea, we are all going to-"Before he could finish, the passenger side window smashed and an arm reached through and pulled the Captain out of the window, throwing him into the opposite highway straight into the path of a moving truck.

The passengers in the back began to scream as shots came through the roof of the van, with Alan attempting to climb into the front seat, "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!" he screamed. Scott slammed on the brakes, sending the assailant flying out in front of them. The man was clad entirely in black, a mask covering half his mouth and his eyes protected by goggles. His hair was dark brown, with a few strands of grey mixed in between.

John couldn't help but stare out the front window, "X23 I presume…" he muttered weakly, "…any chance he's actually a nice guy?"

Virgil shrugged, "Well he does brainwash them…hurt but don't kill?" he asked Scott.

Scott nodded, "Defend but don't attack…not unless absolutely necessary!"

Before the group could do anything else, there was a sudden impact that propelled them further and further towards the attacker. Scott desperately tried to steer away from the man, but remained unsuccessful. The man leapt on top of the van, used his foot to break the front mirror before shoving his hand through in order to rip the wheel away from Scott's hands...and the van.

"SHIT!" yelled Scott as the car swerved from side to side, the military truck behind them impacting again and again in order to urge them into the side of the highway. As the van was travelling at a relatively low speed, the family opened the side doors and threw themselves out in order to avoid being crushed by the military truck, which came to a halt a few metres in front of them.

Before the group could sort themselves out, men began to pour out of the truck and fired on the Tracy brothers, Kayo and Brains. They all found themselves separated as they hid behind various cars and even inside a bus in John's case.

Kayo ran towards the edge of the bridge, ducking as bullets began shattered the concrete and cars around her, "AND THESE IS WHY YOU GUYS SHOULD CARRY PROPER WEAPONRY!" she yelled at Scott as she dived off the edge, using the grapple gun to catch herself and lower safely down onto the street. Removing her gun from its holster, she aimed at the masked men and fired, striking him in the right eye…well goggle.

In the bus, John was helping Virgil and Brains usher the people to safety. It was just in time to as the armed soldiers began to open fire on the bus. Virgil and Brains managed to get to safety, but John was forced to run through the bus, hands over his head in a desperate attempt for safety. As he burst through the door of the bus, he grabbed a large piece of scrap metal that he then used to blok the oncoming bullets.

Further up the bridge, Gordon and Alan snuck up behind a soldier who was more focused on trying to take out John. Gordon struck the man around the back of the head, whilst Alan kicked the back of his legs, sending the soldier to the ground. Kneeling on top of the man, Gordon punched his head into the ground, knocking him out instantly. Alan grabbed the gun and smirked at his brother, "I guess you really did pay attention when Dad was teaching us self-defence!"

Gordon got to his feet, "Didn't you? I mean, I don't think he ever planned for this….or maybe he did, who knows?!"

Noticing that both Virgil and Brains were quickly becoming out-numbered, Gordon and Alan rushed to their rescue. "Where's Scott?" asked Gordon after they managed to subdue the soldiers.

Virgil gestured towards the other end of the highway, "He's helping the passengers of the cars over there. There are way too people in the line of fire at the moment…"

"Is John okay. Last we saw, he was doing his best Captain America impression!"

Brains pointed over the edge of the highway, "T-the masked m-man headed down to where K-kayo is. I t-think John's gone to h-help."

Alan turned to Gordon, "Well…at least she'll look after him!"

Virgil nodded in agreement with his brother before pointing over towards Scott. "Alan, Gordon, Brains…go over and help Scott with the civilians! I'll help Kayo and John."

….

X23 could hear her. Her voice calling for backup…clear even amongst the screams of the people rushing past him.

There!

Crouching down, X23 rolled a compact bomb under the car, towards the source of the voice. The bomb exploded successfully, but before he could make his way over, a foot connected with his face. The young female stood in front of him, her hands held up in front of her in a defensive position. "You need to back off masked creep…" she growled.

Before he could attack, a separate body wrapped itself around his chest throwing him off course. Using all of his strength, he flipped the man over his head, flinging him into a nearby car. As the female helped him up, X23 placed a name to the face.

Virgil Grissom Tracy. The second oldest of the Tracy brothers.

He attacked.

Within a few minutes, X23 had subdued the two, causing them to try and flee the scene. Taking aim, X23 fired, striking the man straight in the shoulder.

…

Kayo gasped as Virgil screamed in pain and collapsed to his knees. She dragged him behind the relative safety of a nearby car. "Virgil!" she yelled as she put pressure on the wound, "Stay awake Virgil, we need to get out of here!"

Hearing a thud, Kayo twisted around to see the man standing on top of another car, aiming his gun directly at them. Knowing that she couldn't abandon Virgil, Kayo squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for the worst.

What actually happened was far beyond Kayo's wildest imagination.

The man never got to fire, because he was tackled to the ground by a young man. John Tracy to be precise. The only problem that Kayo could see was John's lack of skill when it came to fighting…gymnastics, however, was where John's true talents lied. Despite the masked man clearly having the upper hand and landing quite a few severe hits, John was able to backflip out of the situation more times than Kayo ever expected, even disarming the man of both his gun and a knife.

Pulling Virgil off of the ground, Kayo attempted to move to safer ground…that's when it happened. As John was trying to get out of the man's grip, he managed to remove the mask. Still firmly in the man's grip, Kayo could see John practically deflate under the now very familiar face.

"Dad?"


	7. The Plan

That last chapter was meant to be longer but I thought, what the hell, let's leave them with a bit of a cliff-hanger!

Please read and review :)

…..

John couldn't help but stare…it was him. It was really him!

This reunion might have gone a little smoother, if the man John knew to be his Father…wasn't putting his hands around John's neck. "Dad…" he coughed as pressure was applied, "…Jeff!"

His Dad growled, "Who the hell is Jeff?"

Before any more pressure could be applied, Gordon and Alan ran up behind the man and struck him around the back of the head, causing him to release John, who held up his hands in an attempt to stop them. "GUYS NO!"

Scott and Brains quickly joined them as John tried to stop Gordon and Alan from landing any more hits. Scott held John back, clearly confused with the situation. "John! John, what's going on?!"

John struggled as Kayo helped Virgil over, "IT'S DAD!" he yelled, causing Gordon and Alan to stop in their tracks and run over to the rest of their family. Gordon grabbed John by the shoulders, "Are you sure?!"

John nodded as his Father aimed his gun at them once more, with Scott stepping in front of his brothers, his hands held up in the universal gesture for 'calm down'. "Dad…you don't want to do this, please!"

John swore there was a hint of recognition in his Dad's eyes but before the man could make a move, the small group was surrounded by more armed soldiers who forced the group to their knees. They all had guns pointed at their heads, however before they could all be executed, the clear leader of the soldiers glanced up to see a news helicopter circling the scene. "Not here…" he ordered.

The soldiers nodded before cuffing all of the group and shoving them in a prisoner transfer van. It'll be easier to take care of them in a more secure location.

…

Scott shook his head weakly, "It was him…it was definitely him."

Alan sighed, "How? Do you mean that the Hood kidnapped him instead of just shooting his plane down?"

Brains nodded, "It's entirely p-possible. I m'mean from what K-kayo said about h-his attempt to capture the F-fireflash, he is able t-to make a plane disappear v-very easily!"

Virgil, who was sitting forward in order not to put pressure on his wound, nodded in agreement, "Yeah, he would have had to do was sneak on board, plant the device and then Bob's your uncle…one kidnapped Father." He winced in pain and blood oozed from the wound in his back…he was getting weaker.

Kayo frowned in concern, "Hey, he needs medical help!" She yelled at one of the two masked guards in the van, "He's going to bleed out before you ever get a chance to shoot us!"

The guard waved their baton threateningly before slamming it into the head of the guard beside them, knocking him unconsciously instantly. The captured group stared in shock for a few minutes as the conscious guard removed their helmet and groaned.

"Well, that was one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever put on my head!" gasped Lady Penelope as she desperately tried to sort out her hair. She glanced at the group before smirking, "Shall we get out of her boys…and girl of course?"

….

Needless to say…the army were not happy when they arrived at their destination to find the group missing, and a large hole on the floor of the van as a clear method of escape.

…

Lady Penelope's getaway vehicle arrived at a secluded safe house….which was just a bunker hidden under the original. Still safe though…They were led through the corridors, with Scott carefully keeping pressure on Virgil's gun-shot wound and Gordon and Alan supporting John, who was still in slight shock from the earlier events of the day.

"Don't worry, I have my own personal doctor…he helped me a lot over the last few days." She pushed aside some plastic curtains to reveal a hospital bed….filled by a certain long-nosed chauffeur. Parker smiled at the shocked looks, "You're late m'lady…"

The Tracy brothers couldn't help but stop and stare at the man. John began to stammer, "Y-you died though!"

"Shattered collarbone, bullet nicked the liver, lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum…h'and h'one 'ell h'of h'a headache."

Grandma Tracy, who had been taking care of Parker, lightly slapped him on the wrist, "Don't forget about your collapsed lung, young man!"

Parker smirked, "H'oh no ma'am, mustn't forget h'about that!"

Kayo shook her head, "They cut you open! Your heart stopped!"

Lady Penelope winced, "I had to fake his death…it had to appear successful so that we remained under the radar for a bit."

Scott frowned, "So why didn't you just tell us, why all the secrecy!?"

"They can't kill you if you are already dead…" answered Penelope, "…besides, we weren't sure who to trust. After all….being attacked just after leaving the army base wasn't a coincidence."

…

X23 was confused. Memories flashed before his eyes…

A young man in his air force uniform saluting him.

Another boy showing him a painting of a beautiful young lady.

A child, who looked remarkably like the woman, running up to him with a toy rocket.

A young man winning an Olympic medal for swimming.

And finally, a blonde man exiting a race car…a big beaming grin on his face.

Snarling in confusion, X23 pushed one of his guards against the wall and backed into a corner. He knelt on the ground and buried his head in his hands…it felt like his brain was trying to burst out of his skull. He could hear the doors open and a nervous voice addressed whoever it was that entered, "Boss, he's not stable!"

There was silence before X23 sensed someone kneeling in front of him. Glancing up, he came face to face with the boss.

X23 couldn't do it…he couldn't look his boss in the eye, so he opted for staring over the man's shoulder.

"Mission report…" The boss ordered.

Silence.

"Mission report now!"

X23 chose to remain silent again. He grunted as the boss backhanded him across the face. X23 remained silence for a few minutes more before whispering, "Those boys…the Tracy's? I've seen them before…"

The boss nodded, "Yes, you had an assignment earlier this week and you may have spotted them then."

X23 frowned, "But I knew them…I have memories of them."

The boss chose not to answer for a few minutes before sighing, "You are one of my finest creations X23. A success where others have failed and you have helped me achieve my goals…but I'm going to need you to do it one more time. Tomorrow morning, the plan will go forward, but if you can't do your part, then I can't do mine…do you understand?"

X23 remained silent before shaking his head weakly, "But I knew them!"

The boss frowned at him before gesturing to the guards surrounding them, "Pin him down. It appears as though I'm going to have to redo the original brainwashing."

The guards obeyed, although it took more than two of them to pin him down due to his struggles. Memories flashed before his eyes and the last thing he remembers before those horrible golden eyes fixated on him, is calling out a vaguely familiar name.

"LUCILLE!"

….

Kayo shook her head wearily, "We need to stop that launch…"

At that moment Brains opened up a case that he had been carrying around with him for a while. John frowned, "Are those-"

Brains nodded, interrupting John's question. "Y-yes. You s-see, we designed t-the air-bases so that all t-three would link up to the s-satellite. If we replace each m-main linking chip w-with one of t-these chips, then I w-would have access t-to the bases and w-we can use them to d-destroy each other. B-but we have to take c-control over all of them, b-because if e-even one is active….then a lot of p-people are going to die."

Scott frowned, "Okay…we'll have to assume that the majority of the people on board those air-bases are working for the Hood...this means that it'll be International Rescue versus the Army. This is going to get messy."

Virgil shook his head, "We can't risk it Scott…"

John then joined in on the conversation, "We have to Virgil…We've known that the army has been keeping secrets from us, using our designs as weapons and all that. The fact that the Hood is involved doesn't surprise me. We've turned a blind eye for years and because of this the Hood has managed to get one step ahead of us!"

Virgil noticed a few tears in John's eyes and winced, "It wasn't your fault what happened to Dad you know…it's the Hood's."

John shook his head, "I gave up looking for him…if I had just continued to search for him then the Hood might not have got to where he is now. We wouldn't be sitting in an underground bunker fearing for our lives!"

Scott shook his head, "It wasn't your fault Johnny…we need to deal with those air-bases Virgil, or a lot of people are going to die!"

Kayo nodded in agreement, "He's right…I'll call Colonel Casey."

Gordon stopped her before she could leave and shook his head, "No…we don't know who we can trust. We have to do this alone."

Sensing that he was outnumbered, Virgil turned to Alan in the hope that his kid brother would be on his side. Alan just shook his head, "They're right…yeah, it's risky but it needs to be done."

Virgil held up right hand in mock surrender, "Alright, alright…I can see that I'm not getting anywhere here…" he glanced at John and Scott, "I'll follow your leads…"


	8. Surprise!

We're coming to the end now :)

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….

…..Flashback….

"John?" A 14 year old John span around at the sound of his Father's voice, wincing as the sudden movement aggravated his recent head wound.

His Dad frowned at the blood trickling down his face, "What the hell happened?!"

John gently wiped some of the blood off of his cheek and smiled, "Nothing….I just fell that's all!"

His Dad shook his head, "Yeah…and I suppose, judging by the bruise forming on your cheek, that you also fell onto somebody's fist while you were at it?"

John twisted around to look at his face in the mirror, "How can you tell it's from a fist?!" he yelled as he examined his cheek. There wasn't anything there…

Sighing, John sheepishly turned back around to his Dad, who was giving him a knowing look. "So…" began his Dad,"…do you want to tell me what happened now?"

John bit his lip nervously, "It's nothing Dad. It was just some guys who thought I was being too smart for my own good."

"Did you tell a teacher…or even one of your brothers?! You know Scott would have been happy to have a quick word with them!"

John slowly shook his head, "I can't let him fight my battles all of the time! I can take care of myself!"

His Dad placed a gentle hand on John's shoulder, "The thing is John…you don't have to. Your brothers and I are there for you…until the end of the line. I want you to remember that Starman, okay?"

"Okay Dad…"

….End Flashback….

"He's going to be there you know…"

John span around at the sound of Gordon's voice and nodded. "I know, I know…."

Alan, who was just behind Gordon, sighed wearily. "John…I think we should be prepared for the worst. I mine, we've seen the effects of the Hood's powers. We have to stop Dad…instead of saving him."

John shook his head, "I don't think I can do that…and to be honest, I don't think anyone here would be able to do that."

Gordon nodded, "Yeah…but he may not give us a choice John! He doesn't know us!"

"But he will…" The three brothers span around at the sound of Lady Penelope's voice. She was holding up three uniforms, "…once you out these on"

All three boys groaned at the sight of them, "I thought we threw those out!" moaned Alan as they were each handed a uniform.

Penelope shook her head and laughed, "Why throw out the originals. These might jog Jeff's memory…or at least make him think twice."

Gordon sighed, "Yeah, because he'll be laughing at how ridiculous we look…"

John nodded, staring at the sash on the uniform, "Lavender…why did I choose lavender?!"

…..

A few hours later, the brothers were making their way over the wooded hill that was near the base where the project was going to be launched from. Scott adjusted his uniform and frowned, "I can't believe we ever looked like this…well at least we got to keep our upgraded equipment."

Virgil nodded, "I just hope that they don't take any-hey, is that Thunderbird One?"

They all turned to look in that direction and Scott sighed in relief, "Well, at least we now have a getaway vehicle."

They entered the building (with Brains putting the cameras on a loop from another safe house near the base) and took the emergency exit stairs to the main communications floor, where the door opened out to reveal a technician. Scott smirked at the man, "Excuse us…" he asked…or ordered, depending on who you ask. The man moved aside and gestured for them to come in frantically.

They were in.

….

Christian Braun smiled politely as the final representative for the Project Dōsatsu arrived at the office. "Ah, Senator Clark. So nice to see that you can make it!"

The lady, who was around 5"5 with short blonde hair, smiled back at the assistant. "Mr Braun! I'm glad to be here…although the train journey was less than desirable."

Christian nodded in sympathy and reached into a nearby box and brought out a lapel pin, "Due to the sensitive nature of this project, General Cooper is asking that all members of this meeting wear one of these."

The Senator paused for a moment before smiling and attaching the pin to her suit. "I'll see you later Mr Braun." she stated before striding into the room. However, probably to her surprise, Christian Braun followed her in and shut the door behind him, retreating to a corner. The countdown for the launch lighting up the holographic screens.

General Cooper frowned at this before turning back to his guests, however, before he could say anything a voice echoed over the tannoy. "Attention all army and civilian personal. This is International Rescue speaking. You've heard a lot of things about us over the last few days…some of you were even ordered to hunt us down. So now we think it's time for you to know the truth."

There was a pause before the voice continued. "Certain sections of the army are not what we thought they were…they have been infiltrated by the Hood. A global threat that is now masquerading as General Cooper's assistant, Christian Braun."

The General and his guests turned to Christian, or the Hood, in surprise. The voice continued, "Many of the soldiers are under his command and we know that there are more…we just don't exactly know where. But we know they're in the building…they could be standing right next to you. He almost has what he wants…absolute control. If those air-bases are launched into the air, then a lot of people are going to die…people that the Hood views as standing in his way. And this will happen unless we stop them. Now we know that we're asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high…it always has been, but it's a price that we're willing to pay. Now if we're the only ones that are willing to stand up against the Hood then so be it…but we're willing to bet that we're not."

With this the tannoy cut out.

….

In the main communications room, Scott turned around to face the rest of his family who were smirking at him. Gordon turned to Alan and nudged him, "There's no way he thought of all that off the top of his head!"

John nodded in agreement, "Yeah, are you sure you didn't write that down first?"

Scott shook his head and mock glared at his brothers, "Like you lot could have done any better…come on, we've got work to do."

…..

"You son of a bitch!" growled General Cooper as the room filled with guards. Despite orders, they didn't arrest the Hood, and instead chose to point their guns at the General and his guests. Disabling his disguise, the Hood strode up to them and stretched out his arms to the side. "Looks like I've got the floor…"

…

Colonel Casey couldn't believe what she had just heard. The main control area had begun to fill with guards, who were clearly under the Hood's influence. The leader marched up to the Head Technician, who balked under the man's gaze…and his gun. "Pre-empt the launch sequence and get those bases into the air now!"

The Head Technician was silent before shaking his head, "No can do sir…orders from above…"

The lead guard paced the barrel of his gun against the back of the technicians head and ordered him to get out of his chair. As soon as he aimed the gun at that man's head, Colonel Casey drew her gun and pointed it at the guard. These actions caused everybody else to draw their guns, pointing it at anyone they saw as a threat. Colonel Casey smirked, "Like he said…we don't obey the Hood, and we never will."

The guard glanced at her and growled, "You picked the wrong side Colonel."

"Depends on where you're standing…."

There was silence for a few minutes, before the guard reluctantly lowered his gun and dropped it to the floor. This surrender didn't last long though, as the guard wrenched a knife out of its holster and sliced Colonel Casey's arm. Whilst her uniform was relatively thick, the shock still caused he to drop her own gun. This triggered a mass shootout with everyone firing blindly at the armed soldiers who were posing a threat to them.

During this shootout, Colonel Casey managed to kick the chair out from under the technician, saving him from a bullet to the head. However, this enabled the lead guard to begin the launch sequence.

It had started

….

The brothers span around when they heard the alarms sounding and ran towards where the bases were being launched.

"Hey Scott!" yelled Gordon, "How do we tell the good guys from the bad guys?!"

John answered before Scott had the chance, "If they're shooting at you then they're bad!"

Scott laughed at the look on Gordon's face before spitting everyone up, "Okay…Virgil, take care of the far left one, Gordon and I will take care of the middle one and Alan and John…you take the far right one!"

"FAB!" yelled all of the brothers as they split into their respective groups.

As the brothers moved onto the air-bases, just as they were lifting off, Gordon was forced to dive behind some boxes as soldiers open fired on them. "Hey guys! I found those bad guys you were talking about!"

Scott, who was behind some boxes at the opposite side of the base, yelled over to him. "Are you okay?!"

Gordon shrugged, "Well, I'm not dead yet so there's always that…."

…..

The Hood sighed as he watched the battle from the window, before turning back to the guests and sighing. "I don't understand why you're all putting up this much fuss. The world would be a better place under the control of one man! One man who makes all of the decisions and decides what's right and what's wrong? Don't you agree?"

General Cooper stared at the man who had fooled him for many months before striking him across the face. "Not if you're the man in question!"

The Hood held up a hand, stopping the guards from shooting the general. He grabbed his own gun from off of the table and aimed it at the General's head himself. Before he could pull the trigger, the General was knocked to the ground and the gun was kicked out of his hand by Senator Clark.

She systematically knocked all of his guards out before pressing a button on her watch. Her face blurred for a few seconds before revealing his niece, Tanusha "Kayo" Kyrano. The girl in question aimed a gun at the Hood's head, clearly enjoying his shocked silence, before removing her blonde wig. "You're not the only one who can pay dress-up…" she stated, before widening her eyes in mock surprise, "…O, I'm sorry…did I ruin your next little evil monologue?"


	9. Two Down, One To Go

This may be the second to last chapter, and I really hope you enjoy it.

Please read and review :)

…..

Gordon sighed as the shots continued to strike the metallic boxes that he was hiding behind. "I'm kinda glad Kayo gave us these stun guns to this would be really difficult right about now!"

Scott nodded in agreement before they both open fired on the soldiers, stunning a large number of them before running towards the entrance door of the base. Gordon whooped silently in excitement, "We're in!"

Suddenly they heard the rumbling of a plane engine overhead. Scott rolled his eyes as the plane aimed its guns at them, "Shit!" He yelled, as they both dived for cover.

Scott turned to his brother and grinned, "You still have your hover board…or any another flying vehicle?"

Gordon appeared confused, pointing to the object on his back, "Well, I still have my hover board…but what are you planning?"

Scott pointed to the board, gesturing for Gordon to set up the board. "The blueprints show that the area where we replace the chips can be accessed through a glass bowl under the base…we can't get through the door, so we go another way."

Gordon shook his head as Scott tugged on his arm, pulling him towards the edge of the base. "With a plane that's shooting at us! This is a terrible idea!"

His protests went unheard as they both leapt off the side of the base, the hover-board under their feet as they shot towards the glass bowl…the plane not far behind.

"I bet the others are having way better luck than we are!" grumbled Gordon.

…..

The Hood glared at his niece as she ignored him in favour of typing on the computer. That combined with the gun pointed at his head, courtesy of General Cooper, was not making the Hood a happy man.

The General was frowning at Kayo's actions. "What are you doing?"

The Hood scoffed, "She's hacking into your network so that she can dump all of the army's secrets onto the internet…"

"And the Hood's." finished Kayo.

The Hood shook his head, "If my secrets are revealed…then so are yours. Are you really ready for the world to see you as you really are?"

Kayo smirked, "Are you?"

…

Virgil grinned as he replaced the chip in the first base. He pressed the button on his communicator, "Thunderbirds One and Four, what's taking so long?!" he chuckled.

Under the second base, Gordon scowled as he and Scott ducked and weaved around the glass bowl, dodging the bullet fire from the plane. Staying close to the glass protection, they were able to trick the plane into shattering the glass, enabling the pair to get inside and replace the chip in the second base.

Scott grinned at his brother, "Now was that so hard? The second chip is in place, with eight minutes to spare!"

….

X23 knew what he had to do.

He used his grenade launcher to blow up aircraft after aircraft after aircraft. The soldiers who stood against his boss scattered like bugs, running away in a desperate attempt to survive.

Climbing on top of a plane that was just about to take off, he shot the guard from the top of the window screen, shoved the dead pilot out before replacing him in the driver's seat.

It was time to complete his mission.

….

'Restricted Access' bleeped the computer.

The Hood grinned in satisfaction, "It's an Alpha level command that…you need two people with top level access."

Kayo smirked, "O don't worry, I have a friend coming."

The Hood opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when a flash of pink caught his attention. Landing on the helicopter pad outside, was a pink Rolls Royce. To the Hood's surprise, it was Lady Penelope who left the driver's seat. She then helped someone out of the passenger seat and together they entered the office.

"H'I must say m'Lady, h'it was rather nice to be h'in the passenger seat. H'I can see why you like h'it!"

Lady Penelope smiled at both the shock on the Hood's face and her butler. "Well, once you're feeling better Parker, you'll be back in the driver's seat so enjoy it whilst you can."

They stared at the Hood, who managed to straighten out his expression "Did you get my flowers?" asked the man.

Lady Penelope shook her head before strolling over to the holographic screen. "I should slap you for causing me such distress by attempting to kill my friend and I. But I find that this way is much sweeter."

Kayo aimed her gun at the Hood in order to keep him where he was as General Cooper submitted the retinal scan. The Hood scoffed as Lady Penelope took her place at the other retinal scan, "You don't have top level clearance so this little stunt of yours won't work!"

Lady Penelope submitted to the retinal scan. The computer bleeped as it accepted the two scans and an upload progress image appeared on the screen, stating that the relevant files were being uploaded to the internet.

Lady Penelope smirked at the shock on the Hood's face, "It's amazing what a bit of money and a famous Father can do on such short notice."

…..

Six minutes to go.

John glanced at his watch and groaned as he ran for his life. If Gordon and Scott thought they were having issues, then they were wrong. Due to the attacks on the other air-bases, this one seemed to be more heavily defended….like way more. "Alan?! I could use a lift here!" he yelled into us his communicator as he ran towards the edge of the base.

Alan, who was on his hover-board trying to direct attention away from his brother, grinned. "Sure, just tell me when!"

John leapt off of the side of the base. "I JUST DID!"

Alan swore under his breath and sped after his falling brother…who was clearly trying not to yell for help. He grabbed a hold of John's arm and yelled in pain as he was forced to lift all of John's weight into the air and place him on the opposite side of the third air-base, where it was less guarded. Alan jumped off of his board and nudged John in the arm, "You are not as light as you look! How are you so heavy, you look like a stick half of the time?!"

John shrugged as they made their way over to the secondary entrance, "I had a large breakfast…."

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, someone kicked John over the side of the base. Grabbing his board, Alan ran over to the side, "JOHN!"

He briefly caught a glimpse of John hanging onto the edge of the jet engine, but before he could help, the man he knew now to be his Father grabbed the back of his uniform and threw him to the other side. Alan tried to get away by hopping onto his board, however just as he made it into the air, the board was shot sending it spiralling down.

"GORDON!" he screamed as he saw the military building get closer and closer. Thankfully before he could impact with the roof, he was grabbed mid-air and gently placed on the roof of the building, where Scott and Virgil were waiting. Scott frowned, "What the hell happened Alan!? Where's John?!"

Alan pointed up to the third air-base, "He's still up there and Dad's there! Gordon, you should head back up to help, John's got the chip but he can't do it alone!"

Gordon shook his head, "He may have to Alan, I used the last of my charge catching you! And we don't have enough time to go grab another aircraft or hover-board!"

Virgil nodded, "Which means Johnny's on his own."

…

John grimaced as he heard the news through the International Rescue comm links. Whilst he was glad Alan and his other brothers were safe, the prospect of facing his Dad alone terrified the hell out of him. Using all of his upper body strength, John managed to pull himself to safety.

He needed to get this done.

…

Brains frowned when he saw the security footage. One of the lead guards was heading up to the main office, presumingly to take care of Kayo and the others. "G-guys…" he started, "…You n-need to get into t-that building or K-kayo and the others a-are in serious t-trouble!"

"Got it, I'm on my way." answered Virgil through the comms, "Scott and the terrible two are going to...obtain a get-a-way vehicle."

…..

John managed to make it to the main control room where the chip would have to be replaced. There was a metal bridge that led to where the chips were…sadly it was blocked by a figure in black.


	10. It's Over

Last chapter before the epilogue guys :)

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…

John stared at his Father and sighed, "People are going to die Dad…I can't let that happen."

Silence.

John shook his head desperately, "Please don't make me do this!"

Silence.

John gritted his teeth and went on the offense, twisting as his Father fired shot after shot after shot. He yelped as a shot grazed his side, but realising that his Dad was going in for the kill, he placed his hands on the perpendicular bars that acted as a barrier on the walkway and used them to hoist himself up so that he could kick the man away, successfully disarming him as well. He swore quietly as a sharp pain shot up his left side from where the bullet grazed him.

As soon as he touched back down, his Dad attacked with a knife. That's when the trouble really started. Every time John managed to push his Dad away to try and replace the chip, his Dad cam back stronger.

Push back. Enter the code to bring the chips down. Dad attacks.

Push back again. Take the relevant chip out. Dad attacks again.

It seemed that his Dad was getting fed up of not being able to complete his mission. With an angry growl, the man tackled John, sending them both over the edge of the barrier and tumbling down onto the glass bowl that shielded the area from the outside elements. During the ensuing fight, the replacement chip was knocked out of John's sash.

'Shit' thought John to himself. 'Things just got a lot more difficult.'

…..

The Hood scowled as the computer reported that the file transfer was complete. Kayo smirked at the look on his face, "Done…" she checked her phone, "…and it's trending!"

There was silence for a few seconds before suddenly the General and some of the guests began to scream in pain, the pins on their lapels sending out sparks and smoke. They all collapsed, but before Kayo could pull the trigger on her uncle, the man in question held up his hone and sneered at the woman. "Don't move…unless you want a two inch hole in your sternum!"

Nobody moved for a few minutes before Kayo reluctantly lowered her weapon, Lady Penelope and Parker scowling in the background.

…..

Virgil could hear the guard coming up the stairs, each step echoing throughout the abandoned corridors. Hiding behind the door that led to an office complex, Virgil was able to strike the man across the back of the head and then, taking advantage of the man's disorientation, Virgil kneed him in the gut.

The guard took only a few seconds to recover, punching Virgil across the face a couple of times causing the International Rescue agent to fall to his knees as blood oozed slightly from out of his nose.

"This is going to hurt…" growled the guard, removing his bullet-proof jacket, "…The Hood's regime will bring order to the world. Pain creates submission, which creates order….and that will be the way we will bring International Rescue to its knees."

Virgil rolled his eyes, "Man, shut the hell up!" he yelled, leaping at the man.

…

John screamed as the knife entered his shoulder. The fight had become more about getting the chip rather than trying to stop each other. As John yanked the knife from his shoulder, his Dad dived for the chip. John ran over in an attempt to stop him, stomping on the man's hand in order for him to release the chip.

"Dad, stop this!" John yelled, as the man's attempts to grab the chip grew more and more, forcing John to manoeuvre himself into a position that enabled him to place a choke hold on his Dad. Whilst John didn't have much in lower body strength, his upper strength was highly developed due to years of gymnastics. After a while, his Dad's struggles eased off and the man out, his hand relaxing enough for the chip to fall out of it.

Quickly releasing him, John grabbed the chip and wiped his eyes with his free hand, before shoting off to where the other chips were.

It was time to finish this.

….

"How much time do we have next?" asked the Hood, smirking at his niece and her friends.

'65 seconds sir….deploying weapons now.'

…..

'O-one minute John!" yelled Brains through his communicator. John managed to hoist himself up towards the chip holder.

BANG!

John yelled as the back of his left thigh erupted in pain. Twisting around, he caught a glimpse of his Dad aiming a pistol at him. Gritting through the pain, John took a few steps closer to the device, only to yell again as another bullet struck his left shoulder.

He couldn't give up though.

'Thirty s-seconds John!'

Ignoring the searing pain that shot through both shoulders and his leg, he strode up to where the rest of the chips were being held. Before he could place the replacement chip in the correct position, he felt his breath leave his body as a bullet was fired through his stomach. In through the back and out the front.

The pain quickly overcame him, causing him to collapse to the floor, his fingers pressing desperately to his abdomen and feeling the blood pour through his fingers.

Shit…this was going to be a problem.

….

Brains stared at the screen in shock, "T-they're deploying the algorithm! John, y-you need to replace t-that chip!"

He saw the screen light up with targets.

3

2

1

Suddenly the screen went blank and John's voice came over the communicators. 'Third air-base is locked down…'

Brains grinned, "G-get out of t-there John!" he ordered as he quickly programmed the weapons that were on the ground to fire on the air-bases. Before he could check that John was clear of the bases, the man's voice came over the comm link again. 'Brains…just do it."

Brains frowned in concern, "John I-"

'NOW!'

Sighing, Brains issued the command…and the air-bases were fired upon.

….

John cried out as he desperately tried to leave the base before it sank into the river below. However, he stopped in his tracks when he heard another voice cry out in pain. Glancing over the bar barrier, he saw his Dad pinned under a metal beam…he couldn't just leave him there.

…

The Hood scowled at the sight of the air-bases bursting into flames. "What a waste…" He glared at his niece, grabbed her arm and pushed her ahead of him, being careful to keep a gun aimed at her head, "Come on Senator, you're going to fly me out of here!"

The pair walked a few steps before suddenly, Kayo pressed something in her pocket causing the pin on her lapel to spark as she collapsed to the floor. Lady Penelope took advantage of the Hood's shock, picked up a gun and fired….striking the Hood in the chest.

"M'lady!" yelled Parker in shock as Lady Penelope ignored the Hood's groans of pain in order to check on Kayo…who was lying deathly still on the floor. "Kayo…Kayo, come on!"

A few minutes passed before Kayo, grimacing in pain. "That…stings." She moaned.

….

Virgil felt like he'd been fighting this douchebag for decades and very hit he threw was getting him nowhere. The guard tackled Virgil, sending him flying into a glass table.

"You're in way over your head Kid…" grunted the guard.

Virgil would have replied but his attention had been snatched by the sight of one of the bases falling towards the window that was behind the guard.

Virgil legged it in the opposite direction. The guard appeared confused before glancing around a few seconds too late. The rubble from the base crashing into the building crushed the man, which only encouraging Virgil to run faster.

"Please tell me you guys have a plane up in the air?!" he yelled into his communicator.

'Well, we have a chopper…" answered Scott, '…Parker, Lady P and Kayo have already left to get Kayo some medical attention, it's just me and the terrible twosome. Where are you?'

"Forty first floor! South west corner!"

'Got it! Stay where you are!"

"That's so not an option!"

Virgil continued to run and as he reached the window, he leapt through it, only to scream as he saw the blades of a chopper directly beneath him. Much to his relief, the chopper turned on its side, allowing him to fall into the aircraft through the open door. Once the chopper was the correct way up, he glared at his older brother. "Forty first floor! I said the forty first floor!"

"It's not like they write the floor numbers on the outside of those things!" chuckled Gordon, leaning away as Virgil aimed the glare at him.

Alan twisted in his seat to watch the air-bases crash into the river and surrounding buildings. "Where's John!" he yelled.

Virgil turned to look at him and frowned, "He's not out yet?!"

…..

John yelled as the pain coursed throughout his entire body as he helped his Dad remove the metal beam from off the top of him. Once the man was free, John weakly got to his feet. "You know me!" he begged.

There was a pause before his Dad struck him across the face, "NO I DON'T!"

"Dad…you've known me since I was just a baby!"

Another hit.

"Your name is Jefferson Tracy, ex-astronaut and billionaire!"

"SHUT UP!" His Dad punched him to the ground, stepping back as John resisted the urge to puke due to the pain.

"I'm not going to fight you…" he sighed, "….you're my Dad!"

There was another pause before his Dad tackled him to the ground. "You're my mission!" grunted the man as he began to strike John repeatedly across the face, grunting the "You're…my….mission!" after every hit.

During a pause, John smiled weakly at him, "Then finish it…because I'm with you till the end of the line."

John could see the internal conflict flashing through his Father's mind, but before he could address it, the glass bowl beneath him shattered, sending John falling into the river below…with his Dad hanging onto a support beam above him.

The last thing John remembers before falling unconscious is a shadowy hand reaching out for him through the water.

….

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The sound was driving John insane. Blearily, he tried to open his eyes…only succeeding when he heard the sounds of his brother's voices piercing his sub-conscious mind. The first face that he saw was Scott's, who was smiling in relief. "Hey there Starman…you gave us all quite the scare!"

John accepted a cool drink of water offered by Virgil before attempting to speak, "Dad?"

His brothers all glanced at each other before turning to him in sympathy, "W-we didn't find his body John…" answered Gordon, "…but somebody pulled you out of that water, and despite what everyone else says, I think Dad was the one who rescued you. Look he even left a gift!"

Gordon pointed to the left of John's head, prompting him to twist it slightly. On the pillow was tattered old bear….a bear that John recognised easily. "Dad gave me this ages ago…when I was having nightmares about mom. He remembers…I know he does."

John weakly picked the teddy up, "He had to go in my room…into my closet where I kept it a secret from you guys, in order to get this. He'll come back…we just need to give him time."


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue guys! It's over and I hope you enjoyed it :)

Please read and review :)

….

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear John! Happy Birthday to you!"

John grinned as he blew the candles out on his birthday cake, surrounded by his entire family…well, almost his entire family. "You guys really didn't have to do all this…" he exclaimed, smiling as Scott ruffled his hair fondly.

Gordon rolled his eyes and grinned, "You say that every year! I swear it should be a tradition!"

Virgil nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I mean after the last few months that we've had and everything you went through…we felt like you deserved something a little extra." He held pointed towards a large wrapped box that was surrounded by little ones. "The big one's from Lady P….she always has to outdo us I suppose…" he exclaimed jokily as Lady Penelope gave him a mock glare, "…and the rest are from us."

John relaxed into the couch, and smiled shyly. He wasn't used to this much attention and tended to stay in the background…except on his birthday. Both his Mother and his Father tended to make each of the boy's birthdays about them, which gave John a chance in the spotlight. His dad was only too happy to continue the tradition.

He grinned as he was handed box after box after box that led to a multitude of presents, including an inventers notebook (Brains and Grandma), a T-shirt proclaiming him a Space Monitor (Kayo), a new mug with the Milky Way on it (Scott), a lock picking kit (Parker), a Star-Trek book (Gordon) and a few documentaries on space exploration (Virgil and Alan).

John, who was feeling slightly overwhelmed, thanked each of them personally before turning to Lady Penelope who was smirking in the corner. She walked up to the large box and patted it, "This is for John…but I suppose we can say it's for all of you."

She moved away as the box began to quiver and shake…as if someone was trying to get out. Then there was a loud ripping noise as a foot crashed through the box and the wrapping paper. The foot was then followed by the rest of the man. "Thanks Penny, it was getting a little stuffy in there."

The Tracy boys could only watch in shock as their Father, who had been missing and then turned up only to try and kill them, stepped out of the box and stared back at them. Before they could say anything, he held up a hand to stop them.

"I know you probably never want to see me again. I know that I've done nothing but cause you grief since you realised that I didn't die in a plane crash. But I just want you to know that I'm willing to do everything in my power to make it all better…or I'll walk out of here and you'll never see me again, if that's what you want."

There was silence for a few moments, causing Jeff to smile sadly at the floor before turning away, presumingly to leave.

John couldn't let that happen.

Despite the fact that his stomach still twinged in pain whenever he moved, he lifted himself up off the sofa and slowly made his way over to his Dad, placing a hand on his shoulder and encouraged the man to turn around. Once he had, John wrapped his arms around him.

"Welcome home…Dad."


End file.
